Birdwatchers may want to take some time off and visit Baguashan (八卦山) in Changhua County as gray-faced buzzards typically migrate around this time of year.
The migratory birds are expected to fly north and pass by Baguashan from the beginning of this month until the beginning of next month. They are also known as “Tomb Sweeping Birds” (清明鳥), as they migrate around the time when the nation observes the Tomb Sweeping Festival, which falls on April 5 this year.
To celebrate the gray-faced buzzard’s migration, the Changhua County Government is scheduled to hold a parade in Changhua City on Saturday.
Photo courtesy of the Wild Bird Society of Changhua County
Meanwhile, representatives of the Wild Bird Society of Changhua County will also talk about the lives of the gray-faced buzzards to visitors at the bird-watching deck in Baguashan.
Group chairman Tsai Shih-peng (蔡世鵬) said that between 15,000 and 20,000 gray-faced buzzards could fly past Baguashan from March 10 until the Tomb Sweeping Festival, adding that the peak could occur toward the end of this month.
“Generally speaking, there are two peaks around this time of year,” Tsai said. “The number of gray-faced buzzards could reach 4,000 to 5,000 at each peak, sometimes even up to 6,000.”
Tsai said the first peak passed earlier this week when the nation experienced a strong northeast monsoon. He said his group expects that the second peak could come this week, when yet another cold-air mass is forecast.
Tsai said that the first peak was mainly a migration of male buzzards, but birdwatchers would see the migration of female and young buzzards in the second peak.
Aside from gray-faced buzzards, Tsai said that visitors to Baguashan could also see the migration of the Chinese goshawk next month. They would also be able to see crested serpent eagles and crested goshawks on any regular day, he said.
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